MONTREAL – Canadian hockey equipment manufacturer Bauer says it has received government authorization to produce protective gear for medical staff and first responders.

The company says it has modified its production line to make full-face, single-use visors.

However, it needed to notify the provincial Ministry of Economics and Innovation and get the green light to operate as an essential business.

All non-essential businesses in Quebec have been closed under order of Premier Francois Legault.

Dan Bourgeois, Bauer's vice-president of product innovation, says he received an email from the government at 2 a.m. on Thursday.

Bourgeois adds that demand has grown, meaning the company will try to ramp up its daily output in the hopes of producing 500,000 units.

Quebec's federation of medical specialists said in a statement it is happy to see businesses such as Bauer lending a hand in the fight against COVID-19.

The federation salutes "the initiatives of private companies that are offering their resources to the health network, notably to ensure we have reserves of protective equipment," spokeswoman Clementine Maes said. "To face this crisis, all help is welcome."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 26, 2020.